Messages - loki13

I will try and explain this to you nicely. There is no monolithic "they." I have worked with my law school's administration. It is made up of people. Not "they." Real people.

So, building from that, either you have an actual, court-imposed injunction against you (which you claim you didn't), or you don't. If you don't, then you can contact the administration, which you would have to be able to do anyway in order to get re-admitted. You noted that you aren't allowed back on campus pursuant to an agreement- that's what letters are for. There's also phone calls and emails- but you might prefer the letter option first, since you can write everything out and have someone look at it.

If you can't trust yourself to be civil and professional, it's too soon. But there is no such thing as "harassment and ... criminal charges" for someone contacting the school to apply for re-admission. Unless there's a whole heck of a lot that you didn't say (but then ... that would also impact all the question you were asking, so why bother?).

If you don't want to do this yourself, don't. But don't think that this doesn't reflect badly on you, and that decision makers won't consider it, you're fooling yourself. I will point out, one last time, that you asked for advice, and three different people (attorneys) noted this. Again, if you have your own attorney IRL, ask them! Maximize your chance for success.

"If I contact the school, I will be slapped with harassment charges, and possibly get arrested."

Um..... huh? If you send a professional letter stating that you have complied with their terms, and are seeking re-admission, then nothing bad will happen. I don't know why this is hard for you to understand. Yes, it sounds (from your very brief early description) like you did some bad things, and burned a lot of bridges. But remember- you are applying for readmission so that you can go back to law school, by showing that you are able to handle things. Not your parents.

If you are unable or unwilling to do the bare minimum necessary to get re-admitted, and would rather have your parents do those things for you, that's a choice. And you're welcome to make it. You've now heard from three practicing attorneys who have said, in various degrees of bluntness, that it would be preferable for you to take these actions- both for your own immediate chances of readmission, as well as your future prospects (vis-a-vis the bar and practicing as an attorney). If you think you would be unable to professionally communicate with the administration of your school, then perhaps you might need more than a semester off. And that's fine!

I think that both maintain and I have made the same point regarding meeting with the school's administration, but this is something to discuss further with your people you trust (not on the internet).

It has been my experience that the following statements are true:1) No law school administration would be keen to re-enroll a student without meeting with them first to make sure they pass the eye test. If you aren't able to even meet with them, that's not a good sign, no matter how many affidavits and declarations you give them.2) If, as you keep saying, the student believes the administration "despise(s)*" them and wants to "throw [them] under the bus," then that is unlikely to be a sign that the student is in a good place to re-enroll. It is entirely possible that the administration did not deal with your illness correctly or in a timely fashion; but you should probably look at your own actions as well. Not only for this (getting back into school) but for the bar, and for your general well being. It sounds like you had some serious issues, and you were unable to continue school. While your school might not have handled it optimally, it doesn't pay to blame them. Also- an administration (a school) doesn't "despise" or have feelings or want anything. There are people (decision makers) who are risk averse who will make decisions. It would help to remember that these people will want you to end up graduating (if possible- because it's good for their numbers, etc.) while not risking any issues with the safety of the student body (since now they're on notice of these issues). I would hope that in your two prior years at that school you built a relationship with a professor or a member of the administration that you could speak about these issues with.3) There is a general belief among an older generation that "today's kids" are coddled by their parents (the helicopter parent thing). I think that, for the most part, this meme is overblown. Nevertheless, remember that you are an adult, and while your parents certainly can assist you, the school (and, later, the bar) is going to want to see *you* acting, not them. You taking responsibility for your treatment, your progress, you illness, and so on.

As a general rule (and I do mean general), the better attorneys will charge by the hour (with a retainer). An attorney who charges a flat fee (for something other than the absolutely most mundane issue, like a simple will or other transaction) will be looking to minimize their work.

But the most important thing is fit. People often discount how they feel when the talk to their attorney. Yes, some will put on the charm offensive for the first meeting and then disregard you. But this is supposed to be a relationship. Would you feel comfortable having this person represent you? Did they explain the issues? Etc.

As an FYI, you can't group report (if you try to report multiple spammers at one time, you get locked out). I haven't noticed that anything is done when a report is made. And it would be a lot easier if a mod simply swept through periodically- which was done recently.

*shrug* Dealing with spammers is like laundry; it's periodic maintenance.

At this point, I know you're looking for specificity, but I have to be general. You need to look at the terms of your medical leave of absence/medical withdrawal/whatever it was called. Did you have specific terms written down? Was it pursuant to an official policy? Were there verbal terms offered by a decision maker that you know of and can reference? Or was it a general understanding? Make sure you understand that, and comply (to the best of your ability) with any terms. Include references to said terms in your petition for readmission to show your compliance.

At this point, just make sure you're taking care of yourself, and documenting. It doesn't pay to think "three chess moves ahead." Legal options should be a last resort.* Again, if there is someone at the school that you can speak candidly with, and informally with, regarding your desire to re-enroll so that you can visit at another school, that might be a good thing. I am somewhat concerned that you'd look to have your parents have that conversation; while I know that these past experiences have been exceptionally difficult for you, the school's administration would probably feel better seeing that you can discuss these issues.

Good luck.

*Remember that filing a lawsuit means depositions, discovery, litigation costs, etc. Not to mention time and stress. My advice as an attorney, when talking to friends, is always to avoid litigation whenever possible. It's a fun job, but a terrible life, if you know what I mean.

That's great info! Visiting student status is very different than a "pure" transfer. One of my good friends did that back in law school (he did his first two years with me on the East Coast, then went to Loyola-LA law as a visiting student for his third year) and it's definitely doable, but fairly rare. That said, it may be something your current school administration would be amenable to, given both your needs (continued stability, etc.) and, perhaps, their needs.

I think you will need to start with a conversation with your current school's administration (some type of Dean of Student, etc., whoever you feel comfortable talking to). It is my general understanding that you would need to be "enrolled" at your current institution (cleared) before you can visit another for your third year. Remember, though, that the administration, despite whatever disagreements you might have had with them, has an interest in your success as well, if for no other reasons than to keep their numbers up.

Thank you for the clarification! It's certainly better that it was just a school sanction.

Regarding the transfer- eh.... too many factors to consider. Your timeline makes it look like you started in 2013, and didn't quite finish your first semester of your second year. So it would be a decent option just based on time. But you- 1) have disciplinary issues at your prior school, and 2) I would assume that the same issue you had might have prevented you from being at the top of your class?

You can always try. On the plus side, enrollment numbers are way down, so if you're paying full freight somewhere, you might have more of a shot.

I stated that you need to make sure you have been candid in the past. If you were, then no problem.

Again, every state is different. If there are no "red flags," then most applications, in most states, tend to sail through. Yours--- won't. You have a *recent* stay order against you, as well as disciplinary action against you in law school. For these reasons, it is incredibly likely that the Bar will go through your past more thoroughly.

I added that note as a caution, as I have experience dealing with attorneys seeking admission in a different jurisdiction that have similar issues. It is rare for someone to have issues with mental illness or substance abuse as serious as yours that have caused no problems at all, and then suddenly cause such serious problems in law school. But it does happen. More often, however, they had sporadic issues prior to that, there was a question on the law school application that could have been answered one of two ways (let's say... completely candidly, or a little less candidly), and they chose less candidly. It's no big deal if they amend prior to the process (assuming it's something small).

If this doesn't apply to you, ignore it. And I will reiterate that mental illness, alone, will not be a reason to deny you the license.